Vehicle-wheel.



F. A. FROMMANN.

VEHICLE'WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. l2. |913. 1,250,158. o N Patented De.18,1917.

7% 7% gw 6' M F. A. FROMMANN.

vEHlcEE WHEEL. APPLICATION HLED FEB. 12;,1913.

Patented Dea-18, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Toallwlom it may concern.: l A V Be 1tv known that I, FRANKLIN A. F Rom:-

V` MANN, f ycitizen o f the JUnited States, residiliglat Chicago, in the countyfof' Coolrand yState of Illinois, have inventedcertaiiinew and useful Improvements in vehicle `Vheels; and I do hereby declare thefollo'w- Y ing tob'e Aafull, clear, and'exact description ofthe inventi'mfsuch as will 'enable 'others skilled infthe 'art to which rit appertiains to make yand use`the same.

lMyinventionrelates to `'wheels for heavy Vvehicles, such as automobile' truc'ksfmdv more 'pai'ticularly'tothe classlof wheels in wlli'lich one or more i'esilientfinemb'ers 'are interposed between the tire memberV of` the -wheel and fan inner rim'lcaif'ried bythe hub. The

' obj ect o'ffmy invention i to provide an annular resilientinembe'r, for series of members,

which'm'ay: be easily secured tothe infner4 rim of 'the ivvhqe'el" or detached therefrom ;v which willfpermit of a considerableperipheral motionof the tire r'elativeto the rim member without sliding the resilient jnieinloers lrela- `tive'to the tire; and whichwill have a friction-reducing surface upon tlieportibn'lbearing against the inner surface of the tire.

@ther 'objects will 'appear froml lthe following specification and from theclrawings, in which: l l I a Figure -1- is a fragmentary side elevation of .a` wheel embodying my invention, with certainparts'cut away.

Fig. -2- is a section through Fig. -1- along the line 2-2.

Fig. Z3- is a partial plan view of the wheel portion shown in Fig. -1- with the tire member of the wheel removed.

Figs. 4- and -5- are similar views showing alternative forms of the cushioning members.

In the drawings, the hub 1 of the wheel has upon it an integral flange 2 facing a detachable flange 3, the said flanges having parallel faces opposed to each otherV and adapted to clamp a hollow member 4 between the same. Spokes 5, integral with the hollow member 4, are joined at their outer ends to a rim member 6 having a separable portion 7 adapted to be secured thereto by bolts 8 extending through flanges 9 and 10 extending radially outward from the rim members 6 and 7 respectively. The flanges 9 and 10 have grooved formations facing each other and also have lugs 11 extending radially outward at intervals along the pei lof the'wheel. innular,sideflaiiges 12, secured to the lugs 1,1 by'bolts extend 'radially outward from the rim members and a'ct as lateral guides `the tire gof the wheel.

The tire member preferably consists of an annularmemberyl4 having a :pluralityfof I'detacl1able tread, blocksl 15 mounted there- 'onwas more fully shown in lmyrcopending applications, Serial Nos. `73,5721, and?? Interposed in -annular formation between 'the rim member consisting of the adioined portions 6 and )fand the annular portion 114 of the tire .membem are a series ofi resill- .enitmemberss,'16,4 preferablyfmade of vul ,c'anized rubber, having .laterally-extending baise portions 17 adapted to* be clampingly engaged between theI aforesaid grooved formationsuu'pon thel'anges 9.and l0. Each of the resilientiinembers has aflateifally narrowed portion connectingfthewbase portion '.17 with widerlug'pontions adapted to 'bear centrifugally against theI tire memlyerwlvt, each `of.' these flug. portionsy being vdiyzided b'y circumferential channels 20 into lobesplf).l L, .Y l g v The narrowed shank 18 of the resilient member preferably has cylindrical perforations 2&1 whichA maybe flattened to substantially oval sectienswheny the resilient member lis compressed,therebypermitting yef a greater distortion ofthe latter than would be posv sible if its shank were solid. ,fToreduce the friction between the lobes of the resilient member and the inner surface of the tire, I preferably provide each of the said lobes with a covering 24 of textile material, such as canvas or duck secured to the lobe by having its ends molded into the rubber of the lobe.

It will be evident from the above that the tire member which is oatingly mounted upon the wheel, cannot only move radially with respect to the rim and hub members, but can also move circumferentially of thel latter either by slipping upon the lobes of the resilient members or by distorting the latter, as shown in dotted lines at 22. Owing to the transverse openings 23 and the circumferential channels 20 between the lobes and the perforations 21 intermediate of the lobes and the base portions of the resilient member, this distortion may be carried to an extent which would not be possible with a similarly positioned cushioning memberl having no such openings, channels or perforations.

While l have shown and described certain types of clamping formation, and certain shapes of the resilient members, I do not wish to be limited to these or other particular details of my invention as herein disclosed, as it will be obvious that these could be varied considerably without departing from the spirit of my invention. For instance, instead of using duck or a similar textile material for the friction-altering covering 24, this covering may be made of any other material differing in adhesive and wearing quality from the material of which the body and the lobes of the resilient member are made. So also, instead of having the edges of the lug portions of the resilient member at right angles to the sides of the wheel, these edges may be diagonal to the sides of the wheel, as in Fig. Alor arranged in V-shaped formation as in Fig. -5-.

l claim as my invention:

l. In a vehicle wheel, a hub member having a rim element, a tire element circumferentially movable with respect to said rim element, side ianges fast upon one of said elements and laterally guiding the other thereof: and a lobate resilient member fast upon one of said elements and presenting lobes frictionally engaging the other thereof, and a yielding tip covering for each lobe, said covering being` interposed between the lobe and the element frietionally engaged thereby and formed integrally with said lobes, and said covering being of a material different in adhesive quality from the material of the lobe.

2. In a vehicle wheel, a hub member having a rim provided at its opposite edges with annularly disposed opposed formations for receiving the base of a resilient member: side flanges carried by the said rim: a tire laterally guided by the said flanges: and a lobate resilient member fast upon the rim and presenting lobes frictionally engaging the tire, the said resilient member having formations adapted to be clampingly yengaged by the said opposed formations upon the rim, each lobe of the said resilient member having its peripheral face covered with a woven material different in adhesive quality from the material of which the lobe is made and each thereof divided circumferentially into a plurality of relatively short projections by relatively deep transverse i of each of said lobes being divided circumferentially into the transversely separate sections, flexible woven caps integrate `with said lobes adapted to contact with the tire, said resilient member provided with a circumferential series of transverse openings extending from side to side and one thereof arranged below and midway between the ends of said sections.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name 1n presence of two subscribing wit- 1 nesses.

FRANKLIN A. FROMMANN. Witnesses:

R. W. Lo'rz, M. M. BoYLE.

Copies of this patent :may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. G. 

